The association between susceptibility to inflammatory arthritis and miR-146a, miR-499 and IRAK1 polymorphisms A meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to explore whether polymorphisms in miR-146a, miR-499 and IRAK1 are associated with susceptibility to inflammatory arthritis.

Methods Manual searches performed in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were used to identify published articles in which the roles of microRNA (miRNA) and IRAK1 polymorphisms in inflammatory arthritis were determined. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate associations of the miR-146a rs2910164, miR-499 rs3746444, IRAK1 rs3027898 and IRAK1 rs1059703 polymorphisms with susceptibility to inflammatory arthritis.

Results Nine studies containing 1224 patients and 1841 controls were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed no association between inflammatory arthritis and the rs2910164 C allele of miR-146a (odds ratio, OR = 0.974; 95 % confidence interval, CI = 0.810–1.091; p = 0.650). Stratification by ethnicity or disease type revealed no association between the miR-146a C allele and inflammatory arthritis in European, Middle Eastern or Asian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). However, the meta-analysis revealed an overall association between RA and the miR-499 rs374644 C (OR = 1.123, 95 % CI = 1.019–2.586, p = 0.041); stratification by ethnicity revealed a particular association in Middle Eastern populations (OR = 1.943, 95 % CI = 1.508–2.504, p = 2.7 × 10–8). The meta-analysis of IRAK1 polymorphisms revealed an association between inflammatory arthritis and the rs3027898 CC genotype (OR = 2.602, 95 % CI = 1.387–4.879, p = 0.003). An analysis using the homozygote contrast showed the same pattern for the rs3027898 CC genotype (OR = 2.472, 95 % CI = 1.300–4.700, p = 0.006). No association between inflammatory arthritis and the rs1059703 polymorphism was found.

Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that the miR-499 rs374644 and IRAKI rs3027898 polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to inflammatory arthritis.